The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1887-04-16
KANSAS.

MEDiClNE LODGE, MARCH FL, 1851.
EDITOR INTELLIaENcER:-My long
silence is not the result of loss of in
terest in the Intelligencef. Every
week its columns are closely read, and
every item Of Importance discussed.
All the old Lexingtonians here still
cherish memories of their old home.
This is strange country to me. The
atmosphere is 90 dry that it seldom
gets worry hot; and never very cold
unless the wind blows. Three or four
days the past winter the Thermometer
was 8 below zero, but the cold was
scarcely noticeable. Several times,
when it was five or ten above zero, and
q breeze blowing, the cold was quite
severe. Last summer we had several
days above 100, and one day it was LOG
nearly all day, yet the heat was not
more oppressive than it usually is in
Missouri when the thermometer is six
to eight degrees, lower. There is
always breeze In summer, and the
nights are always cool. There have
been two or three light rains since the
18th of last July mot enough at any one
time to lay the dust, yet there is nothing
suffering for rain. AS walk across my
garden leave tracks an inch deep;
but half an inch below the surface the
ground is moist. The young trees
put out last spring are doing nicely.
Nevertheless, we have needed q rain
tor the past three weeks. The prairie
sod is SO hard that it takes q good team
to turn it over. and it is now getting
late to break sod. Had good rain
fallen three weeks ago, this county
would have had ten thousand acres
more land in cultivation than it can
possibly have now. The people of
southeast Kansas are raising consider
able cotton, and last year realized
about IS per cent. more per acre than
those who raised corn. This year
there will be four hundred acres Of
cotton planted in this county. There
would have been more, but the seed
could not be procured.
Farmers are plo wing their old land,
and it breaks up as mellow as Missouri
hemp land. Some sod is being broken.
Potatoes have been planted. There is
some indication of grass, and rain
would soon change tho blackened
prairies into green pastures. The
prairies are black from recent fires.
Saturday, the 18th OF March, was as
calm and pleasant as May morning.
Some movers cooked dinner on the
| prairie twelve miles north of here, aud
the prairie grass caught fire. 1t burn
ed slowly, and the day was 30 calm
that persons living in the neighb0r-
hood paid no attention to the fire. At
five O'Clock strong breeze from the
north sprang up very suddenly, and In
five minutes wss blowing gale. Sand
and dust completely filled the air. The
fire that was SO harmless = few
moments before, now became an un-
controllable element of destruction.
1t swept everything before it. Ordins-
ry fire. guards, fifty or ono hundred
feet wide, we're no protection. It
swept through the county, and into the
Indian Territory, leaving q blackened
| prairie, with here aud there q house,
where there had been many houses,
barns, hay stacks, etc. Twenty
thousand dollars is a low estimate OF
the damage done this county. From
my room | could see the fire as it pass
ed from north to south, and sometimes
the flames were higher than mans
bead, and travelling as fast as q horse
could run. l could see houses and hay
stacks flash up few minutes, and then
die out. They would be consumed in
less time than in takes me to tell you
of it. Many cattle, hogs, and horses
were burned, and many people had
narrow escapes with their lives.
All the Lafayette county people out
here are well, and seem to be con-
tented. often see w. H. Worland,
Leo Bradley. r. NJ. Sparks, and their
families. Il. A. McClearey, our post
master, and 7. L. O'Bryan, real
estate agent, are also from Lafayette,
but have been here so long they arc
now Kansans. John McFadin, Del.
Jacobs, Taylor Nichols, J. E. Drys-
dale, and others whose names cannot
recall, are here. A. j. Sparks, of
Higginsville, passed through here
week ago, and is at Coldwater, with
VIM. H. Carter, in the real estate
business.
Our building association puts up its
loans at auction. The last loan brought
a premium of 80 per cent. A man
borrowed 5000, at 80 per cent. prem
iuln, and per cent. interest on the
loan. He gave his note for $l,l70, at
per cent. This is little less than IL
per cent. straight, with the advantage
of paving at any time. l wish the
Lexington association great success.
love the old town, and want to see
it boom. w. G. M.
WALLING OURSELVES IN.